Some of the people who wrote letters to a federal court judge in support of former El Cajon Councilwoman Jillian Hanson-Cox now say they wouldn’t have done so after learning more about the nature of her crimes.

More than 100 people wrote U.S. District Judge Michael Anello espousing Hanson-Cox’s generosity and advocating for leniency at a sentencing hearing this month. Hanson-Cox had admitted to stealing more than $3.5 million from her former employer, Century Design Inc.

All that was publicly known about Hanson-Cox was that she used the proceeds to benefit community causes such as the Mother Goose Parade and the Miss El Cajon Pageant.

Until the day of her sentencing, no information was released about her other spending — $67,000 each at Nordstrom and St. John’s Knits, $21,000 on jewelry from Tiffany’s; $18,000 for designer apparel at high-end retailers like Giorgio Armani, $30,000 for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, $30,000 for a Porsche, $40,000 for a boat and trailer, $23,000 on cosmetic surgery and dentistry, $9,000 for a two-night stay at The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel and spa, and $170,000 for landscaping and artificial turf for her home.

Mayor Mark Lewis now tells The Watchdog that he was not aware of those details of Hanson-Cox’s spending and likely would not have written a letter on her behalf had he known.

“We didn’t know all of this at the time,” Lewis said. “We thought she was doing all those things for the betterment of city and with her own money. As the all the stuff came out, it was a different story. I wouldn’t have written the letter had I known these things, but that’s hindsight.”

Lewis’s letter to the judge focused on Hanson-Cox’s civic service.

“Jillian’s family was involved in many civic activities, working hard to make El Cajon a better community. As long as I have known Jillian, she has been dedicated to this end,” Lewis wrote. “She also loved to encourage and remind everyone that there is a lot that each person can do to make their community a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Citing the outpouring, the judge gave Hanson-Cox 30 months in prison, less than the 54-month minimum suggested under federal guidelines.

El Cajon spokeswoman Monica Zech also wrote a two-page letter highlighting Hanson-Cox’s passion for the community.

“Her community service, her kind and generous heart is commendable,” Zech wrote.

Zech also told The Watchdog that she was not aware of such details of Hanson-Cox’s spending and likely would not have written the letter had she known.

“I didn’t know any of this,” Zech said. “In reading the court documents I now see there was a lot more information that I was not aware. This has made me both sad and disappointed.”